Long live the Queen!

The Eagle has landed. I repeat, the Eagle has landed.

After I brought George home, I realized we couldn't JUST have George. He was lonely, and he needed a friend. While I understand there is an adjustment period for puppies to acclimate to their new homes, George was not the same puppy I had met at Basham's Berners.

This would not do.

And we were off! I began my search anew for a female companion for George. We figured if we bought an unrelated female, we would be able to breed them if we decided to. I contacted Heidi (the owner of Basham's Berners, where we bought George), and told her my specifications. The bigger the better, large blaze, boxy face, and female.

She contacted me that same day to tell me she knew of a breeder who had a puppy that might be just the one we were looking for.  Later that night she sent me a few pictures of a pup named Miley.  Heidi and Bailey had done an excellent job choosing one for me. Miley was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

I contacted the breeder the next morning to quiz her on her ideals, practices, and basically interrogate her the way I had Heidi. Little did I know that Heidi had already beat me to it. The owner of Miley was a woman named Lisa Buxton. Lisa lives in Utah, and also has 6 children. I was thrilled to meet someone who shared my love for children as much as my love for Berners.

After speaking with Lisa, I was confident Miley would be a good fit.  Miley was already 10 1/2 weeks old, so I felt it was critical to get her shipped out to us as soon as possible. Lisa was headed to the airport the next day to pick up her husband, and offered to ship her the next morning. We had a lot to do in a short amount of time!

I wrote up the contract, Lisa booked the flight.I sent her the deposit, she took Miley to the vet. We had less than 24 hours to pull this whole transaction together! Thankfully, with us each being the mother of 6 children, we excel at multitasking!

We were able to get everything in place, and Miley flew out from the Salt Lake City airport at 7:30 the next morning. She connected in Detroit, and landed in Buffalo at 4:43.

I was there early to pick her up, and waited in the Delta baggage claim office for her flight to land. Soon, a gentleman emerged with a large crate. MILEY!! I was so excited! She was everything I had hoped she would be, and super friendly! I took her to my car, cleaned her up a bit, fed, watered, and pottied her. Then she rode in my lap the whole way home.

I could tell right off the bat that she was even more affectionate than George. Maybe it had to do with her age, or that she was a female, or being isolated during the flight. Whatever the case, Miley and I hit it off right away.

When I got her home, I put her into the dog side of the yard. George was inside the house, and had yet to figure out the dog door. I knew Miley would be the motivation he needed to get through that door!

She looked at him...

He looked at her...

And the videos tell the rest:

Video 1                http://youtu.be/byyDneO9HYA

Video 2                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gUjkU6sspc&feature=youtu.be

Video 3                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZvaYrUXGLw&feature=youtu.be

Video 4                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQyYwm9yIAg&feature=youtu.be

Video 5                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsoDIB5P7tw&feature=youtu.be

Video 6                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj679v1Jcc8&feature=youtu.be

The King has found his Queen, and they live happily ever after.

Ladies and Gentlemen, King George and Queen Miley Von Thomas!

In the beginning...

There was King George.

King George is our first Berner. He is about 8 weeks old, and we got him from Heidi and Bailey Basham at Basham's Berners in Corning, New York.

King George, or just George for short, is a playful, eager to please, adorable little guy... well... little for now anyways. His dad, is 145 lbs, and his mother is about 85.

We first discovered the Bernese Mountain Dog (or affectionately known as the Berner) when we decided it was time for a family dog. My husband and I have both grown up with different breeds, and one thing we knew was we didn't want a high energy dog.  We have 6 children, and the last thing I wanted was to add a dog that would be bouncing all over the place.

We wanted something big, that much we knew. I liked the look of dogs with longer coats, and I loved the tri color markings of black, white, and brown.  I didn't want a pointy muzzle, like the Collie, or the fierce look of a German Shepherd.  Great Danes were too tall, the Newfoundland drooled WAY too much for my taste, and the Saint Bernards fell into that same category.  Decisions, decisions. It seemed like we would never find the "right" dog for our family.

Then...

I stumbled on a website that had the Bernese Mountain Dog. It was love at first sight. They were beautiful, loveable, huggable, and HUGE! The more I read about them, everyone said how easy going they were, loveable, great with kids... SOLD. Where could I get one of these dogs?!

Like any responsible pet owner, I looked for a reputable breeder. One who could show us the lineage of each puppy, and could prove there were no major health issues running in that line.  I searched, and I searched, and I searched, and I searched... and then I searched some more.

I didn't have a good feeling about some of the breeders, they seemed to have "puppy mill" weaved in between their ushy, gushy, sweety-pie descriptions.  It just didn't feel right.

After awhile I stumbled onto a facebook page for Basham's Berners.  After reading their website, I decided to contact the owner, Heidi.  Her and her daughter, Bailey, breed the puppies.  Heidi and I hit it off right away. She had all the same values I had concerning breeding, puppies, everything.  After talking with her for over an hour, I decided it was time to meet with her.

She had one male left, who she called Phillip.  I drove down the next day to see him, check out the way she did things, and see what happened.  I took my two oldest kids, M and A, with me.

We showed up at Heidi's at about 7:00pm. As we walked up to the yard, two large Berners came barking and charging at the fence. They both proceeded to jump up, and put their front paws on the fence, barking at us.  My kids and I all froze.  THIS was the dog I had read about?! Are you KIDDING me?!

We were all terrified, and smiled nervously as Bailey came over to let us into the yard. I was thinking, "There is NO WAY I am going into that yard with those huge dogs. Not happening!"

Heidi and Bailey put the females away, but left Henry, the 145 lb male out. We cautiously entered the yard.  Henry came over and sniffed us all, and I made my bravest mommy-isn't-scared-honey-it's-really-okay face to try and encourage my kids... hoping this miniature bear wasn't going to eat us all in one fell swoop. To my utter surprise, he sniffed us, and walked over to Bailey (did I mention she is only 13, and shorter than me?), and leaned on her legs. She started petting him, and I realized then that everything I had read was true. They WERE big, cuddly teddy bears!  I knew this was the dog I wanted. Both my kids warmed up to him soon after that, and by the time we left an hour and a half later, they were laying on the ground with dogs licking them, and playing.  It was great.

Henry is the sweetest dog I have ever met. Gentle, but huge. Protective of his family, but a sweet heart.

We bought Phillip, and brought him home.  We changed his name to King George.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it all got started!